Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

18

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms 
of the Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0

1 Scientific and Methodological Center of Personnel Policy, 
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Ukraine (corresponding author)
E-mail: sivkov.sergey.v@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6348-7550
2 Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman, Ukraine
E-mail: zadereikosvitlana@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0336-0023
3 Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman, Ukraine
E-mail: j.ryzhuk@kneu.edu.ua
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8282-9028

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30525/2256-0742/2025-11-4-18-30

PROBLEMATIC ISSUES OF FINANCIAL AND LEGAL SUPPORT 
FOR INTERNATIONAL AND STATE PROGRAMMES  

FOR THE REHABILITATION OF VETERANS
Serhiy Sivkov1, Svitlana Zadereiko2, Yuliia Ryzhuk3

Abstract. This article provides a thorough analysis of the current financial and legal support available  
for veteran rehabilitation programmes in Ukraine. It highlights the importance of rehabilitation policy as a vital 
part of post-war recovery, focusing on the reintegration of military personnel who have suffered physical and 
psychological injuries due to armed aggression. The authors emphasise the necessity of a systematic approach 
to financing rehabilitation services, taking into account the requirements of humanitarian law and the standards 
of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The primary focus of this analysis is 
the disparity between the state and international components of funding, in addition to the deficiencies in the 
regulatory framework that delineates rehabilitation as a continuous process. The fragmentation of current 
legislation, the absence of unified terminological foundations, inadequate coordination among relevant actors, 
and the lack of procedural regulation for interagency co-operation are all salient issues. The text goes on to 
emphasise the discrepancy between the rights of veterans to rehabilitation and their actual access to quality 
services at the regional level. The following paper sets out to outline the key challenges in financing the veteran 
rehabilitation system under the conditions of a special period. These include the absence of transparency in public 
procurement procedures, the lack of an effective mechanism for external control over the use of funds, and the 
paucity of performance indicators with which to assess expenditure efficiency. It is imperative to acknowledge 
the disparity in the financing mechanisms for the multifaceted components of rehabilitation, encompassing 
the medical, psychosocial, domestic, and occupational domains. This disparity hinders the comprehensive 
resolution of challenges associated with the adaptation and integration of veterans into society. The analysis 
conducted has resulted in the formulation of well-founded proposals for the improvement of normative legal acts,  
the introduction of independent monitoring, the involvement of civil society institutions in the development of 
individual rehabilitation plans, and the enhancement of transparency in procurement in this field. The creation of 
a unified basic law on rehabilitation and the introduction of an indicative system for evaluating the performance 
of service provision are proposed. The results obtained in this study are of practical significance for the formation 
of a new model of state policy in the field of post-war rehabilitation. They can be used in the activities of central 
and local executive authorities, healthcare institutions, academic institutions, as well as in the process of law-
making and the development of budget programs. Subject of the article. The subject of this article is the financial 
and legal foundations of the functioning of international and state rehabilitation programmes for veterans 
in Ukraine. The article focuses particularly on the issues of their regulatory framework, funding, intersectoral 
coordination, and implementation mechanisms for rehabilitation services aimed at the comprehensive recovery 
of military personnel affected by war. Research methods. To ensure objectivity and interdisciplinary analysis, a set 
of general scientific and specialised legal methods was employed in the course of preparing this article. The formal 
legal method was employed to analyse the norms of Ukrainian and international law relating to rehabilitation,  
and to highlight any legal discrepancies. The system-structural method facilitated the analysis of institutional 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

19

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
interactions and relationships among the legal, financial and social elements of the system. Meanwhile, the 
comparative legal approach made it possible to compare the Ukrainian model with the practices of the European 
Union. The method of legal hermeneutics was employed to unify legal concepts, and a socio-economic analysis 
was conducted to assess financing efficiency and identify risks in public procurement. Analytical and logical-
normative methods were employed to summarise the data and develop recommendations to enhance the  
financial and legal support for rehabilitation programmes. Purpose of the article. The article aims to conduct a 
comprehensive study of the financial and legal foundations of international and state rehabilitation programmes 
for veterans, in the context of armed aggression against Ukraine. This includes identifying gaps in the current 
regulatory framework and organisational and financial imbalances in the implementation of relevant programmes, 
as well as developing conceptual proposals to improve the financing, coordination, control and regulatory 
unification mechanisms of rehabilitation policy in Ukraine. The article focuses on the structural barriers of a legal, 
institutional and resource-related nature that hinder veterans' access to comprehensive medical, social, psychosocial 
and occupational rehabilitation. Conclusion. The article concludes that Ukraine currently lacks a coherent  
mechanism for implementing veteran rehabilitation programmes that can ensure the integrated provision of 
medical, psychological, social, domestic, educational and occupational interventions. It identifies substantial 
gaps in the regulatory framework, particularly with regard to terminological ambiguity, the absence of unified 
approaches to determining the scope of services and the lack of a clear division of responsibilities between state 
authorities and local self-government bodies. The study emphasises the critical lack of institutional and financial 
foundations necessary for the rehabilitation system to function stably. The existing funding model is ineffective 
due to the absence of external monitoring mechanisms, a lack of transparent reporting and inefficiencies in public 
procurement procedures and resource allocation. These shortcomings prevent adequate fulfilment of veterans' 
needs, particularly in regions where shortages of specialised institutions and professionals are exacerbated 
by infrastructural inaccessibility. The research conducted substantiates the necessity for a structural reform of 
the rehabilitation system. This would include harmonising the legal framework, strengthening intersectoral 
co-operation, establishing an effective quality control mechanism for services, and developing financial  
instruments to facilitate the long-term integration of veterans into public life.

Keywords: veteran rehabilitation, financial and legal support, economic integration, state programs, international 
investments, international programmes, international rehabilitation experience, public funding, military personnel, 
post-conflict recovery, healthcare system, budget expenditures, funding mechanisms, institutional capacity, 
effectiveness monitoring, indicative planning, social inclusion, regulatory framework, multidisciplinary services, 
mobilisation reform, assistive rehabilitation devices.

JEL Classification: H11, H75, K20, L26, O19

Introduction
In the context of post-war societal recovery, the 

assessment of the effectiveness of veteran rehabilitation 
programmes is of exceptional importance. The 
reintegration of individuals who have participated in 
military operations into peaceful civilian life requires 
comprehensive support for their physical, psychological, 
social and economic well-being, as well as medical 
interventions. Adequate financial and legal regulation is 
a key factor in ensuring the sustainability, accessibility 
and targeted nature of these programmes.

In order to address the challenges of the present 
day, it is necessary to develop a balanced model of 
rehabilitation policy that combines state efforts with 
international assistance. It is imperative that such 
a model be founded upon a transparent legal framework, 
predictable budget planning, and clear mechanisms 
of interagency coordination. It is imperative that the 
legal foundations for the financing of rehabilitation 

programmes encompass both the immediate 
requirements of veterans and the long-term perspective 
of their inclusion in the country's socio-economic life.

In practice, however, the implementation of 
rehabilitation programmes often encounters obstacles 
associated with inconsistent financial instruments, 
unclear distribution of responsibilities and insufficient 
control over expenditure effectiveness. This situation 
requires a systematic analysis and substantiation  
of ways to improve the financial and legal framework, 
which is the focus of this article.

1. Methodology of the Study

1.1. Academic Analysis of Literature  
on the Research Topic

An analysis of scholarly sources indicates a growing 
academic interest in issues related to the rehabilitation 
of military personnel, particularly in the context of 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

20

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
large-scale warfare and its impact on the physical and 
mental health of combatants. Ukrainian researchers 
have not only focused on the medical, biological and 
psychophysiological aspects of rehabilitation, but also 
on the organisational, legal, social and managerial 
mechanisms involved.

In the context of the ongoing armed conflict in 
Ukraine, the academic community has devoted 
considerable effort to studying the rehabilitation of 
military personnel, combatants and civilians affected by 
the conflict. A review of the literature reveals that this 
research covers a wide range of issues, including the 
medical and psychological aspects, legal frameworks, 
governance arrangements and financing mechanisms 
of the rehabilitation system. Despite some thorough 
studies having been conducted, systematic and 
generalised analytics regarding the financial and 
legal tools for implementing state and international 
rehabilitation programmes for veterans remain  
limited. This underlines the relevance of this research.

Comprehensive medical rehabilitation of military 
personnel and individuals with combat injuries has 
been the focus of such researchers as K. D. Babov, 
T. M. Bezverkhniuk, I. K. Babova, O. L. Plakida, 
I. B. Zabolotna, I. V. Balashova, and O. V. Futruk,  
in their work "Rehabilitation of Military Personnel 
in Sanatorium and Rehabilitation Institutions".  
The authors outlined the key requirements for 
patient clinical pathways, the role of multidisciplinary  
medical teams, and the necessity of integrating  
physical and psychological rehabilitation into 
a unified treatment process. N. V. Bachynska and  
Yu. O. Zabiako, in their publication "Current Issues and 
Prospective Directions of Rehabilitation for Persons with 
Combat Injuries", analysed the dynamics of changes 
in rehabilitation infrastructure and the need for new 
patient management protocols for combined trauma 
cases.

Issues of an organisational and legal nature, including 
the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to international 
standards, have been explored by V. Andreev,  
Ya. Bezugla, N. Bolotina, A. Yehorov, P. Pylypenko, 
and L. Shumna. In particular, their works address the 
lack of a unified conceptual framework in national law 
concerning rehabilitation, inconsistencies in regulatory 
terminology, conflicts between laws in the fields of 
healthcare and social protection, and the failure to 
comply with the provisions of the United Nations 
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Ukrainian scholars have devoted significant 
attention to the psychological aspects of rehabilitation, 
particularly the impact of combat operations on the 
psychosocial well-being of military personnel. This 
area has been thoroughly developed in the works of  
O. Blinov, O. Boiko, A. Borodii, V. Krainiuk, Ye. 
Lytvynovskyi, O. Makarevych, and A. Romanyshyn.  
The researchers emphasised the need to establish 

a system of military psychological support that 
addresses post-traumatic disorders, adaptation crises, 
and the necessity for long-term mental rehabilitation.

The practical and administrative-organisational 
aspects of rehabilitation work with veterans are the 
focus of the works of V. Aleshchenko, O. Karaman, 
V. Leskov, M. Maslova, N. Oleksiuk, N. Ponomarenko, 
O. Savchenko, V. Turban, and O. Khmiliar. The primary 
focus of their research endeavours pertains to the 
challenges associated with the implementation of 
a systemic approach to rehabilitation at the hromada 
(community) level. This involves ensuring adequate 
staffing levels, the material and technical capacity of 
institutions, and the effective utilisation of budgetary 
resources. The text emphasises the necessity of 
establishing sustainable rehabilitation infrastructure 
within local hromadas, enhancing the qualifications 
of personnel, standardising processes, and developing 
public-private partnerships in the domain of medical 
and social rehabilitation.

1.2. Methodological Features of the Study
This article was prepared using a comprehensive set 

of general scientific, special legal and interdisciplinary 
research methods, ensuring a systematic, logical and 
analytical approach to examining issues related to 
the financial and legal support of international and 
state veteran rehabilitation programmes. An in-depth  
analysis of Ukraine's current regulatory legal acts 
(including laws, government resolutions, state 
programmes and the provisions of international treaties 
ratified by Ukraine) was enabled by the use of the  
formal legal method. The analysis revealed fragmentation 
and inconsistencies among acts of varying legal force, 
and highlighted a lack of terminological unification in 
the areas of social protection, healthcare, and public 
finance.

The systemic-structural method was employed 
to facilitate the consideration of rehabilitation as an 
integrated, multi-level system that combines legal, 
financial, organisational-management, and socio-
medical mechanisms. In this context, the analysis 
encompassed the hierarchy of entities responsible for 
program implementation, the functional relationships 
among state, municipal, and non-state institutions, as 
well as the logic of financial support for different stages 
of the rehabilitation process – from emergency aid to 
long-term socio-psychological support.

The comparative legal method was utilised to analyse 
national legislation in relation to the provisions of 
international instruments, chiefly the United Nations 
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 
the regulatory guidelines of the World Health 
Organization, and the European Commission's  
directives on inclusive rehabilitation. Furthermore, 
a comparative analysis was undertaken with the  



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

21

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
practices of several European Union countries 
(Germany, Lithuania, and Denmark), which have 
successfully implemented financial and legal models  
for the support of veteran rehabilitation programmes.

In order to facilitate a more profound comprehension 
of the fundamental concepts and terminology  
employed within diverse legislative contexts, the 
approach of legal hermeneutics was employed. 
This method enabled the identification of semantic 
discrepancies, the clarification of the content of legal 
categories (e.g., "rehabilitation", "social service", 
"veteran", "comprehensive assistance"), and the 
formulation of a unified conceptual approach to 
rehabilitation as a public function of the state.  
This approach is of particular importance in conditions 
of normative dispersion and the absence of a  
codified act that would unify the regulation of the 
rehabilitation sector.

A significant role in the study was played by the 
method of socio-economic analysis, which made 
it possible to critically assess the effectiveness of  
budgetary financing of rehabilitation programs, 
analyse the risks of misappropriation of funds, 
corruption abuses in public procurement processes, 
and identify disparities between the needs of target 
groups (particularly war veterans) and the volume and  
structure of actual financing from the state and local 
budgets.

The study also utilised the logical-normative 
and dialectical-legal methods, which facilitated the 
identification of contradictions and gaps in legal 
regulation. This, in turn, enabled the formulation of 
specific proposals for the enhancement of financial 
and legal mechanisms. The application of the analytical 
method ensured the integration of statistical data, 
monitoring report findings, results of governmental 
programs, and international organisations' analytical 
materials in order to form an evidence-based and well-
founded argumentation. The amalgamation of the 
aforementioned methodologies permitted a thorough, 
empirically substantiated, and logically coherent 
examination of the subject matter.

2. Theoretical Approaches to Defining  
the Content and Functional Purpose  
of International and State Programmes  
for the Rehabilitation of Veterans

2.1. The Concept, Elements,  
and Principles of Rehabilitation Programmes 
for Military Personnel 

The full-scale war unleashed against Ukraine has 
resulted in an unprecedented rise in the number 
of individuals who have suffered physical injuries, 
psychological trauma, and moral exhaustion due 
to participation in combat operations. A significant 

number of military personnel are returning daily from 
the front lines with bodily injuries of varying severity, 
musculoskeletal impairments, and limb loss. All of 
these require long-term and comprehensive medical, 
psychological, social, and professional rehabilitation. 
The aforementioned conditions give rise to an  
objective need for the creation and effective operation 
of a large-scale, systematically coordinated state 
rehabilitation policy, centred on the individual who  
has fulfilled their duty to the state.

The rehabilitation of military personnel is not  
only a moral and humanitarian requirement of 
contemporary society, but also a direct legal obligation of 
the state, derived from the provisions of the Constitution 
of Ukraine and current legislation. Concurrently, 
Ukraine is obliged to execute this function under 
conditions of considerable financial strain, precipitated 
by armed aggression, escalating defense expenditures, 
the devastation of infrastructure, a deepening budget 
deficit, and constrained access to domestic financial 
resources. Nevertheless, the state has persisted in 
its efforts to implement rehabilitation programmes. 
Indeed, a new model of public administration is 
being developed, in which international partners play 
an increasingly significant role by providing both  
financial and expert support.

Rehabilitation, as an interdisciplinary category, 
encompasses a set of targeted measures aimed 
at restoring an individual's functional capacities,  
facilitating their adaptation to everyday life, and 
ensuring their full participation in society. In the context 
of international law, rehabilitation is recognised as 
a pivotal component in the realisation of fundamental 
human rights, particularly with regard to the rights 
to health, dignity, labour, and social protection.  
The General Comment of the United Nations 
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 
regarding Article 26 of the Convention on the  
Rights of Persons with Disabilities affirms that 
rehabilitation is a continuous process that must 
provide comprehensive support throughout all stages 
of life, going beyond medical aspects to also include  
social, educational, vocational, and psychological 
rehabilitation (Convention on the Rights of 
Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Law of Ukraine  
No. 1767-VI of December 16, 2009).

The World Health Organization, in its foundational 
document World Report on Disability (2011), 
defines rehabilitation as a series of measures aimed  
at enabling persons with disabilities to achieve 
and maintain an optimal level of functioning in 
physical, intellectual, mental, social, and professional 
dimensions(WHO: World Report on Disability, 
2011). The text emphasises that effective rehabilitation 
is not merely the result of interventions within the 
medical sphere, but rather the outcome of cross-
sectoral co-operation among various actors, including 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

22

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
public administration bodies, the education system, 
employment services, social protection institutions,  
and others.

In accordance with national legislation in Ukraine, the 
rehabilitation of persons with disabilities is recognised 
as a multi-component process that includes medical, 
psychological, pedagogical, physical, vocational, labour, 
health and fitness, and socio-domestic measures.  
The Law of Ukraine "On Rehabilitation of Persons with 
Disabilities in Ukraine" provides a comprehensive 
definition of rehabilitation, emphasising the attainment 
of material and social independence, the assurance of 
employment opportunities, and full participation in 
social life (The Law of Ukraine "On Rehabilitation of 
Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine", No. 1053-IX of 
December 3, 2020). Concurrently, international best 
practice demands the active involvement of persons 
with disabilities themselves, their families, and civil 
society organisations in the planning, implementation, 
and monitoring of rehabilitation programmes.

The World Health Organization's 2021 recommendations   
on rehabilitation in emergency situations emphasise 
that veterans with injuries or psychological trauma 
require systematic, long-term support for physical 
and psychosocial recovery (WHO: Technical 
Considerations for Rehabilitation in the Context of 
Emergency, 2021). Particular attention is given to 
reintegration into economic life, particularly through 
programmes offering vocational guidance, access to 
education and support for self-employment, as well  
as helping to develop entrepreneurial potential.

The rehabilitation of persons with disabilities  
resulting from hostilities must be carried out on  
the basis of universally recognised principles of 
international law. Among these principles, the 
prohibition of discrimination, respect for human 
dignity, equality of opportunity, and inclusiveness 
are of particular importance. International legal 
instruments emphasise the need not only to provide 
medical, psychological, and social assistance, but also to 
actively eliminate barriers in the physical, informational,  
and regulatory environment that hinder the full 
participation of persons with disabilities in society.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with 
Disabilities, adopted by the United Nations General 
Assembly on 13 December 2006 (A/RES/61/106), 
constitutes the key international legal framework in this 
area. Ukraine ratified the Convention through the Law 
of Ukraine of 16 December 2009, No. 1767-VI. Article 9  
of the Convention stipulates the obligation of 
State Parties to guarantee accessibility to the 
physical environment, transportation, information, 
communications, and services open or provided  
to the public, including rehabilitation facilities.

The Convention stipulates the obligation of States 
to develop, organise, strengthen, and maintain 
comprehensive rehabilitation services, taking into 

account individual needs and applying a cross-sectoral 
approach. This legal concept signifies the necessity for 
social spaces to be transformed in accordance with 
the needs of persons with disabilities, emphasising 
the creation of an inclusive environment rather than 
adapting individuals to existing limitations.

A comprehensive approach to rehabilitation must  
go beyond purely medical interventions and be  
inclusive. This requires the integration of measures 
across various areas of public policy, such as healthcare, 
employment, education and social protection, and 
necessitates adequate regulatory, institutional and 
financial support.

Furthermore, it is crucial to consider social factors 
such as societal attitudes, public awareness levels, 
stigmatisation and cultural barriers, which may hinder 
veterans with disabilities from participating fully in 
community life.

The implementation of an inclusive approach to the 
reintegration of combatants with disabilities requires 
two fundamental elements. Firstly, this group must 
be identified as beneficiaries. Above all, however, 
a fundamental rethinking of the structure of the 
rehabilitation process itself is required. It is imperative 
to transcend the confines of medical classifications and 
to encompass personal, psycho-emotional, cultural, 
legal and economic factors that are instrumental in 
determining the success of a return to civilian life. 
Veteran policy must be predicated on the active 
involvement of veterans in shaping their rehabilitation 
pathways, on interagency coordination, and on the 
effective administration of rehabilitation programs.

In this context, international and national 
programmes play a pivotal role in providing 
comprehensive support to veterans with disabilities. 
The distinguishing characteristic of these organisations 
is the implementation of a cross-sectoral approach.

The Veteran Reintegration Programme, implemented 
by IREX in co-operation with the Ministry for  
Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, is a notable initiative  
aimed at enhancing the quality and accessibility of 
services for veterans, with a particular focus on the  
most vulnerable groups. The programme's primary 
objectives are the expansion of employment and 
vocational training opportunities, in addition to the 
enhancement of access to psychosocial and physical 
rehabilitation services (IREX: Ukraine Veteran 
Reintegration Program).

Moreover, the IREX Veteran Reintegration Program 
supports a number of initiatives, including the  
creation of the Unified State Register of War Veterans, 
the development of the "e-Veteran" electronic 
platform that enables veterans to access information 
about available opportunities and benefits, as well as 
projects aimed at promoting veteran entrepreneurship 
and vocational retraining. These initiatives notably 
include professional retraining, support for veteran-



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

23

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
owned businesses, innovative mental health tools, 
telerehabilitation solutions and mobile hubs, which 
are designed to address unequal access to services in 
smaller hromadas. These programmes demonstrate that 
international support in the rehabilitation sector can 
help to shape new inclusion standards by taking into 
account global best practices and the specific needs of 
the Ukrainian context, as well as filling funding gaps.

At an international level, the United Nations 
Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine runs 
training sessions for specialists working with disabled 
veterans in local hromadas. These training sessions 
aim to enhance the participants' ability to provide  
effective support and facilitate the reintegration of 
veterans into society (UNDP Ukraine: Training on 
Reintegration of Veterans with Disabilities, 2023). 

With the support of the European Union, the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM) is 
implementing projects to support the reintegration 
of veterans in Ukraine, particularly through providing 
psychosocial assistance, vocational training and 
employment facilitation (IOM and EU: Support for 
Veterans’ Reintegration in Ukraine).

Several key government programmes operate at the 
national level in Ukraine to ensure comprehensive 
support for war veterans, particularly those with 
disabilities. The primary initiative is the State  
Target Programme for the Social Protection of War 
Veterans for 2021–2025, which was approved by the 
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in Resolution No. 336 
on April 14, 2021. The programme provides 
psychological, medical, educational and professional 
support for combatants. It also plans to develop 
a network of veteran social support centres, create  
an electronic personal account for veterans and 
implement a system to monitor the effectiveness of 
rehabilitation measures (The Resolution of the Cabinet 
of Ministers of Ukraine “On Approval of the State  
Target Program for the Social Protection of War  
Veterans for 2021–2025” No. 336 of April 14, 2021).

A separate and prominent place is held by the State 
Strategy for the Rehabilitation of Veterans until 2030, 
which was approved by the Order of the Cabinet of 
Ministers of Ukraine No. 1164-р dated December 27, 
2022 (The Order of the Cabinet of Ministers  
of Ukraine "On Approval of the State Strategy for 
Veterans’ Rehabilitation until 2030" No. 1164-р of 
December 27, 2022), defines the policy priorities 
in this field, including infrastructure adaptation, 
development of social entrepreneurship, and access 
to innovative forms of medical rehabilitation.  
The Strategy underscores the imperative for interagency 
collaboration, the establishment of registries to 
document veterans' needs, a personalised approach 
to developing rehabilitation pathways, and the  
engagement of local self-government bodies in the 
implementation of programme measures.

It is also worth noting the National Strategy for 
Creating a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine for the 
Period until 2030, approved by the Order of the  
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 366-р dated  
April 14, 2021 (The Resolution of the Cabinet of 
Ministers of Ukraine "On Approval of the National 
Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space in Ukraine 
for the Period until 2030" No. 366-р of April 14),  
which can be regarded as one of the key instruments 
of state policy, closely aligned with the challenges  
of social adaptation of veterans with disabilities.  
The Strategy is predicated on the principle of 
ensuring conditions for unimpeded access to public  
facilities, services, and resources, a prerequisite for the 
successful reintegration of veterans into society.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs 
of Ukraine is implementing a number of targeted 
programmes. These include the Veteran Employment 
Promotion Programme, the Professional Training 
and Retraining Programme for Combatants, and 
initiatives to establish consultative platforms for the 
launch of veteran startups (Ministry of Veterans Affairs 
of Ukraine: Directions and Programs). In practice, 
the implementation of these programmes requires 
stable budget financing, legal support, and effective 
administration at the regional level.

The existence of key programmes such as the State 
Strategy for the Rehabilitation of Veterans until 
2030 and the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-
Free Environment demonstrates the state's recognition 
of the importance of a systematic approach to 
reintegrating veterans. However, the implementation 
of these measures is facing numerous significant 
challenges.

2.2. Problems of Implementing State Policy  
on Veteran Rehabilitation  
in the Post-War Period

Despite the existence of individual regulatory acts, 
in particular the Law of Ukraine "On Rehabilitation 
in Healthcare" dated December 3, 2020, No. 1053-IX 
(The Law of Ukraine "On Rehabilitation in Healthcare" 
No. 1053-IX of December 3, 2020), its implementation 
mechanisms remain uncoordinated with related 
sectors – such as social protection, education, labor 
reintegration, and cultural and spiritual rehabilitation. 
In lieu of the establishment of an intersectoral 
rehabilitation space, there has been a deepening of 
the gaps between departmental approaches. This 
has had the effect of impeding the formation of a  
coherent policy for the rehabilitation support of 
combatants and persons with disabilities resulting  
from war.

In the context of contemporary Ukraine, the 
medical paradigm of rehabilitation has been observed 
to predominate over other forms of rehabilitation, 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

24

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
including the social, psychosocial, professional, 
educational, sports, and spiritual domains.  
This unilateral approach is at odds with the 
recommendations put forward by the World 
Health Organization (WHO), which characterizes 
rehabilitation as a multifaceted, interdisciplinary 
form of assistance. In legal practice, this results in a  
situation where institutions that provide non- 
medical, alternative, or comprehensive services do 
not receive adequate funding under state and targeted 
programs. A lack of institutional support can lead to 
initiatives working with veterans in areas such as psycho-
emotional recovery, vocational training and cultural 
readaptation being curtailed (Babov K.D. (ed.), 2023: 
Rehabilitation of Military Personnel in Sanatorium  
and Rehabilitation Institutions. Odesa: Poligraf).

Analysis of the current legislation of Ukraine, 
in particular the Law of Ukraine "On Social 
Services" (The Law of Ukraine "On Social Services"  
No. 2671-VIII of January 17, 2019) and the Law of 
Ukraine "On Fundamentals of Social Protection of 
Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine" (Ther Law of 
Ukraine "On Fundamentals of Social Protection of 
Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine" No. 875-XII of 
March 21) reveals the absence of a unified conceptual 
framework in the field of rehabilitation services  
provision. The legislator has not delineated the 
boundaries between related concepts such as 
"rehabilitation," "adaptation," "social service," 
"support," and "accompaniment," which are often 
used interchangeably in legal practice. This lexical and 
conceptual inconsistency in the normative framework 
gives rise to numerous legal conflicts, reduces the 
effectiveness of inter-agency coordination, and hinders 
the implementation of a comprehensive cross-sectoral 
approach to veteran rehabilitation. Consequently,  
the same form of assistance may be classified in  
different administrative contexts either as a social  
service or as a rehabilitation measure. This has the 
potential to disrupt funding mechanisms, prevent 
unified approaches to auditing, and complicate 
reporting within the framework of national post-war 
recovery policy.

One of the critical issues in the functioning of 
the rehabilitation system is the lack of effective 
monitoring of the quality of services provided in 
healthcare institutions, both in terms of indicators and  
procedures. In practice, the predominant focus is 
on individuals who have recently sustained injuries, 
resulting in short-term interventions, primarily during 
the acute phase of illness or trauma. Meanwhile,  
veterans with long-standing or chronic injuries,  
including those who participated in the Anti-
Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the Joint Forces 
Operation ( JFO), often do not receive the appropriate 
rehabilitation support. This results in prolonged  
unmet recovery needs that do not diminish over time 

and may even worsen. Such a situation goes against 
national legal acts in the fields of healthcare and 
social protection, as well as Ukraine’s international 
obligations. In particular, it contravenes the provisions 
of the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons 
with Disabilities, which guarantee the principles  
of non-discrimination, equal access to services, and 
long-term rehabilitation support.

The provision of adequate rehabilitation services to 
veterans with chronic injuries is further complicated 
by insufficient training among medical personnel 
and administrative staff in healthcare institutions to 
work with this target group. In most cases, staff lack 
the specialised knowledge, methodological materials, 
operational algorithms or standardised instructions 
needed to properly plan and implement individual 
recovery programmes. This state of affairs does not 
comply with the requirements of the National Standard 
DSTU 9001:2021 "Rehabilitation Services. General 
Requirements" or the provisions of the Law of Ukraine 
"On Rehabilitation in Healthcare", which establish 
quality, comprehensiveness, and accessibility criteria 
for rehabilitation assistance. In practice, this often leads 
to decisions that are overly formalistic, such as refusing 
services, providing superficial case management or 
referring veterans to tertiary-level institutions without 
intervening at primary or secondary stages.

One of the significant barriers to establishing 
a fully functional rehabilitation system in Ukraine 
is the inadequate infrastructure of public and 
municipal healthcare institutions for implementing 
assistive technologies. This involves more than 
just the use of individual technical devices; it also 
involves introducing comprehensive technological 
solutions that enable people with disabilities to live 
independently, communicate effectively, stay mobile, 
integrate into society and develop professionally. A lack 
of specialised facilities, trained professionals, clinical 
protocols and standards for the application of such 
technologies significantly limits the ability to provide 
high-quality rehabilitation services in line with modern  
international practices. This situation goes against the 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons 
with Disabilities (2006), which ensures access to 
assistive technologies, such as mobility aids, orientation 
tools, communication systems and educational and 
professional resources.

A major ongoing challenge is the systematic non-
compliance of healthcare entities with current 
legislation, particularly with regard to providing  
people with disabilities with prosthetics, assistive 
rehabilitation tools and medical devices. Such 
issues become even more acute in times of special 
circumstances, when a large number of wounded 
service members and civilians require urgent, high-
quality prosthetic and orthopaedic interventions. 
However, the situation on the ground reveals delays 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

25

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
in service delivery, procedural complexity, low levels 
of patient awareness and disjointed action between 
central executive authorities in the fields of healthcare 
and social policy, and local self-government bodies.  
The lack of clear coordination between these parties 
creates substantial barriers to realising one of the 
fundamental human rights: the right to restore 
functional capacity following injuries resulting in 
disability.

The problem of institutional passivity among local 
self-government bodies in developing rehabilitation 
infrastructure is becoming increasingly pronounced  
in the current circumstances. Often, local councils  
either fail to approve targeted programmes or 
implement them in a purely formal manner due to 
a lack of resources and organisational support. This 
inaction is in direct contravention of the provisions of 
the Law of Ukraine "On Rehabilitation in Healthcare", 
particularly Articles 13 and 16, which stipulate the 
obligation of local self-government authorities to ensure 
the accessibility of rehabilitation services, establish and 
finance municipal rehabilitation centres, and equip 
rehabilitation facilities with assistive devices and 
medical products. The absence of active engagement 
from the local level in the implementation of  
this policy demonstrates the weakness of the territorial 
component within the national rehabilitation system 
and effectively blocks the realisation of the principle  
of subsidiarity. The latter states that assistance  
should be provided as close as possible to the individual, 
taking into account their specific needs and the local 
context.

The shortage of personnel in the field of  
rehabilitation is symptomatic of a more profound 
structural imbalance within the system, which in turn 
has a direct impact on the quality and accessibility of 
rehabilitation services. A quantitative deficiency of 
specialists in healthcare institutions is evident, as is 
an insufficient level of professional training. This issue 
can be traced back to a number of factors, including 
a paucity of practical experience among university 
lecturers, an absence of clinical bases for high-quality 
training, and a formalised approach to personnel 
certification. The absence of a sufficient practical 
element in accelerated training courses, the lack of 
unified accreditation standards, and the inadequacy of 
monitoring mechanisms have resulted in the emergence 
of individuals who, while formally authorised to 
engage in rehabilitation practice, lack the required 
competencies.

Such a situation contradicts the requirements of 
Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine "On Professional Pre-
Higher Education" dated June 6, 2019, No. 2740-VIII, 
which obliges educational institutions to ensure that 
the content of educational programs corresponds 
to labor market demands, as well as to educational 
and professional standards (The Law of Ukraine  

"On Professional Pre-Higher Education" No. 2740-VIII 
of June 6, 2019).

The problem of the understaffing of multidisciplinary 
rehabilitation teams further exacerbates the personnel 
imbalance. In the majority of medical institutions, 
these teams do not include the full range of necessary 
specialists, such as a physician in physical and 
rehabilitation medicine, an occupational therapist, 
a physical therapist, a psychologist, a social worker, and, 
in some cases, a rehabilitation nurse. This situation is 
caused by a shortage of qualified personnel, extremely 
low wages, a lack of career prospects, overburdened 
staff, and a lack of funding for a team-based approach 
within the Medical Guarantees Programme.

Consequently, rehabilitation assistance becomes 
fragmented, recovery planning is uncoordinated, and 
the overall effectiveness of the rehabilitation process 
remains low.

It is imperative to acknowledge the critical shortage of 
specialists in speech and language therapy in Ukraine. 
The absence of specialists in this field has resulted 
in speech therapists (logopedists) being obliged to 
assume these responsibilities within multidisciplinary 
teams. However, there is a question as to whether these 
therapists are always sufficiently qualified to work with 
adults, particularly those suffering from traumatic  
brain injuries, strokes, or injuries to the speech  
apparatus. The absence of specialised education, 
methodological resources, and institutional support 
engenders significant risks, including improper 
diagnosis, delays in restoring communication skills, 
and ultimately, a decline in the patient's quality of 
life. As indicated by the National Health Service of  
Ukraine, a limited number of healthcare institutions 
have speech or language therapists on their staff. 
Additionally, the regulatory framework concerning 
the qualification requirements for these professionals 
remains unregulated (National Health Service of 
Ukraine: On the Need for Speech Rehabilitation 
Specialists).

An analysis of the procedure for implementing the 
programme of state guarantees for medical services 
for the population in 2024, as approved by Resolution 
No. 1394 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 
22 December 2023, reveals an absence of clearly 
delineated socio-domestic components within the 
structure of guaranteed rehabilitation services. Despite 
the presence of medical service packages aimed at 
patients' physical recovery, the document does not 
provide mechanisms to ensure support for individuals' 
daily functioning. This includes assistance with self- 
care, household mobility, personal hygiene, nutrition  
and sanitary procedures. This structural gap in 
the regulatory act excludes an essential part of the 
rehabilitation process and contradicts modern 
approaches to restoring individuals' functional potential. 
It is important to emphasise that the document lacks 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

26

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
provisions for integrating a social worker into the 
multidisciplinary team. This contravenes the principles 
of personalised care and intersectoral coordination 
recommended by the European Union and enshrined  
in core international standards.

Another significant issue is the unprofessional 
nature of some recommendations made by healthcare 
specialists regarding rehabilitation. This includes 
an absence of multifactorial analysis of patients'  
conditions, the use of template-based plans and 
disregard for psychosocial aspects. Failure to adhere 
to the principle of personalisation violates the 
fundamental principles of the Convention on the Rights 
of Persons with Disabilities, as well as the International 
Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health 
(ICF) standards, which Ukraine began to implement 
officially in 2021.

Systemic discrimination includes the continued use 
of stigmatising language and incorrect terminology 
concerning disabled people in official documentation, 
medical records and internal staff communications. 
Phrases such as "disabled since childhood", "hopeless 
patient", or "bedridden" not only contradict ethical 
standards and the norms of social inclusion, but also 
shape biased attitudes among healthcare personnel 
themselves, leading to the underestimation of patients' 
rehabilitation potential and reluctance to invest 
resources in comprehensive recovery programs.

It is also necessary to highlight the artificial  
inflation of quantitative and qualitative performance 
indicators by rehabilitation providers in order to  
obtain increased funding from the National Health 
Service of Ukraine. This manipulation of statistical 
data engenders a fallacious impression of programme 
"success", whilst the actual outcomes of rehabilitation 
remain suboptimal and patient satisfaction is negligible.

A pervasive absence of transparency in the domain 
of rehabilitation services for service members who 
have sustained wounds, injuries, or functional 
losses in the course of duty continues to impede the 
establishment of a genuinely effective recovery system. 
A salient problematic element pertains to the absence 
of legally regulated mechanisms for external auditing, 
public reporting, and independent monitoring of the 
effectiveness of public spending on medical and social 
rehabilitation programs. This is particularly salient in 
the context of high demand from combat veterans, as 
ineffective or irrational resource allocation can result  
in the loss of timely recovery opportunities for 
a significant number of individuals.

A matter of particular concern is the absence of 
effective mechanisms for involving patients in the 
development of individualised rehabilitation plans. 
In the majority of cases, military personnel receive 
a predetermined list of rehabilitation measures 
without the opportunity to express objections or 
choose an alternative approach. This contravenes the 

principle of participation as defined in Article 26 of the 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons 
with Disabilities, which recognises the right of the  
individual to actively engage in the planning of 
recovery measures. The absence of effective feedback  
between the veteran and the rehabilitation facility 
undermines the principle of partnership in service 
delivery, discourages long-term involvement of the 
rehabilitee in the recovery process, and fosters a sense  
of mistrust in the system.

Moreover, the challenge of accessing current 
international rehabilitation standards, the majority 
of which have not been translated into Ukrainian nor 
officially published, hinders veterans from exercising 
control over the quality of services received. This 
is of particular concern in cases where a significant 
proportion of patients are unable to evaluate the 
effectiveness of the proposed methods, leaving them 
dependent on the physician's judgment, which may 
not always be well-founded or made in good faith.  
The absence of legal mechanisms to obtain a second 
opinion or to appeal an individual rehabilitation 
plan means that the system remains centred on the  
physician with minimal involvement from the veteran.

The situation is especially severe in regions where 
access to rehabilitation infrastructure is considerably 
more limited. In rural and remote areas, there is 
a marked deficit of facilities, a paucity of mobile 
multidisciplinary teams, staffing shortages and 
chronic underfunding of local programmes. In such 
circumstances, the existence of a comprehensive 
rehabilitation strategy is no guarantee of its execution. 
This has resulted in a growing distrust of state support 
mechanisms among veterans, with many choosing to 
either discontinue rehabilitation or seek assistance 
outside the public healthcare system.

It is imperative to direct particular attention  
to the issue of informational inaccessibility, which 
has been shown to impede the exercise of the right 
to rehabilitation by a significant number of service 
members. The absence of a systemic awareness 
campaign, unstructured and scattered information 
about available institutions, referral mechanisms, and 
the scope of free services creates a situation in which 
veterans are forced to navigate complex administrative 
barriers on their own. This obstacle is particularly 
pronounced for individuals with disabilities residing 
in remote areas or lacking the digital literacy skills 
necessary to independently seek relevant information 
through government e-services.

3. Financial and Legal Mechanisms  
for Ensuring International  
and National Veteran Rehabilitation Programs

In order to outline the financial and legal mechanisms 
for the implementation of international and national 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

27

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
veteran rehabilitation programmes, consideration 
must be given to more than just funding volumes. 
It is also necessary to consider governance systems, 
control instruments, legal procedures for fund 
allocation, mechanisms of public accountability, as 
well as the identification of systemic risks. These 
include misappropriation of resources, formalistic 
task implementation, administrative inefficiency, and 
corruption vulnerability.

The financial resources allocated to veteran 
rehabilitation programmes are derived from multiple 
sources, including the state budget of Ukraine, local 
budgets, social insurance funds, and international 
assistance facilitated through technical support 
mechanisms, targeted credit lines, grants, humanitarian 
projects, and international technical assistance 
programmes. The allocation of such funding is frequently 
designated for diverse objectives, including the 
procurement of medical equipment, the construction 
of rehabilitation centres, the provision of staffing,  
and the coverage of costs associated with training, 
retraining, and the social adaptation of veterans.

The disbursement of public funding, allocated 
through general and special budgetary funds, is 
typically apportioned among several key ministries: the 
Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry 
of Health of Ukraine, the Ministry of Social Policy 
of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, 
which oversees the allocation of budget appropriations. 
Nevertheless, the coordination of financial planning 
and fund usage between agencies frequently exhibits 
deficiencies, resulting in programme fragmentation  
and cost duplication.

At the regional level, local budgets also play a role 
in financing rehabilitation programmes. In practice, 
however, the volume and structure of such expenditures 
is largely dependent on the economic capacity 
of individual hromadas. Consequently, there are 
substantial disparities between regions in the quality 
and availability of rehabilitation services for veterans. 
It is evident that certain hromadas are confronted with 
an ongoing issue of inadequate financial resources, 
a situation that hinders even the basic provision of 
rehabilitation equipment and the remuneration of 
specialised personnel.

International technical assistance is a distinct  
source of financing, which is facilitated through 
intergovernmental agreements and multilateral 
programs (for example, support from the European 
Union, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the 
governments of the United States, Canada, Germany, 
etc.). Programmes such as USAID, GIZ, UNDP, 
and EU4Health frequently incorporate components 
pertaining to the institutional strengthening of the 
rehabilitation system, the training of staff, and the 
digitalisation of processes. However, at the level of 
national administration, these resources are frequently 

not integrated into a unified system of strategic 
management and do not align with national priorities.

Concurrently, a paucity of a comprehensive audit 
system exists to facilitate the effective utilisation of 
financial resources. Existing reporting mechanisms 
are primarily oriented towards formal indicators 
of fund absorption, as opposed to focusing on the 
outcomes of veterans' health recovery, employment, 
or social reintegration. Independent audits or program 
evaluations are either not conducted or occur 
sporadically as part of isolated donor initiatives.

A separate issue remains the almost complete absence 
of effective mechanisms for public monitoring of the 
distribution and expenditure of funds in the field 
of veteran rehabilitation. Despite legal provisions 
stipulating the involvement of civil society institutions, 
in practice, public organisations, veterans' associations, 
or patient communities are involved in decision- 
making only on a consultative and mostly symbolic 
basis. This engenders the potential for opaque decision-
making processes that fail to align with the genuine 
requirements of designated target groups.

The shortcomings of grant and subvention allocation 
procedures have also attracted criticism from experts. 
Frequently, there is a lack of transparent competition, 
insufficient publication of participation terms or short 
application deadlines. In several cases, the winners are 
inexperienced entities or those affiliated with public 
authorities.

A number of state and regional initiatives that have 
been implemented demonstrate a predominantly 
declarative approach to achieving their stated objectives. 
For example, rather than establishing modern, 
multidisciplinary rehabilitation centres with qualified 
staff, appropriate medical technology and personalised 
rehabilitation programmes, funding was allocated 
to build small, expensive, cosmetically renovated 
buildings with up to 20 beds, which have almost no 
technical, medical or digital rehabilitation equipment. 
Such facilities often lack functional capacity and are  
not integrated into the national network of services.

The practice of procuring equipment for rehabilitation 
institutions is often marred by systemic abuses in 
public procurement, significantly undermining the 
efficiency with which national and international funds 
are spent. The most common issue is the deliberate 
division of procurement items to bypass open bidding 
procedures. This enables authorised officials to 
enter into direct contracts with preselected suppliers  
without the need for competitive processes, thus 
contradicting the principles of integrity, transparency, 
and economic rationality established by the Law of 
Ukraine "On Public Procurement".

Documented instances also exist of the systematic 
lowering of technical requirements for medical and 
rehabilitation equipment. This has resulted in the 
procurement of goods that do not meet the clinical 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

28

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025
needs of rehabilitation institutions or the applicable 
safety standards. A common practice is the technical 
customisation of tender documentation to favour 
a particular supplier, which significantly restricts 
competition. Consequently, tender procedures  
become a mere formality, with the winner being the 
supplier aligned with the authorities rather than the  
one offering the best conditions.

Attention should also be paid to the emerging trend 
of purchasing outdated or uncertified equipment. 
Products procured through formal procedures using 
state or donor funds often lack clinical validation,  
proper documentation and certificates of conformity. 
They may also be incompatible with the national 
rehabilitation infrastructure. Such equipment often 
fails to meet the needs of individuals with complex 
impairments, such as amputations, central nervous 
system injuries and psycho-emotional disorders, and 
therefore remains unused.

Another pressing issue is the lack of price 
transparency. Tender documentation often fails to 
provide adequate justification for the cost of the 
equipment, and the technical specifications do not 
allow for fair comparisons between competing offers. 
This creates conditions for significant price inflation, 
particularly for niche equipment. For example, in 
November 2024, the municipal non-commercial 
enterprise "Central City Hospital" in Toretsk announced 
a tender for the procurement of medical rehabilitation 
equipment worth over 4.6 million UAH. However, 
the tender documentation contained limited technical 
specifications, which made it difficult to adequately 
compare participants’ offers and created preconditions 
for potential overestimation of prices (Prozorro: 
Procurement of Medical Equipment for Rehabilitation  
in Toretsk, 2024).

Moreover, in April 2023, the company "Aksel  
Medical" sold rehabilitation equipment to Rivne City 
Hospital No. 2 for nearly 29 million UAH. Experts in 
rehabilitation noted that the equipment lacked proven 
clinical efficacy and that its cost had been significantly 
inflated. Subsequently, a temporary investigative 
commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine 
confirmed cases of overpricing, prompting the police 
to initiate a criminal investigation against officials at 
the hospital (4vlada.com: Company Sold Unproven 
Equipment at Inflated Prices to Rivne Hospital,  
Then Sued Journalists). 

It must be emphasised that, in many cases, there is 
no requirement for personnel to undergo mandatory 
training or for technical maintenance of the equipment. 
This leads to the devices being rendered either 
inoperable or unusable shortly after they are procured. 
Procurement processes are often poorly monitored in 
terms of after-sales services, and contracts frequently 
lack provisions that establish responsibility for the  
non-delivery or improper installation of equipment.

Finally, it is important to highlight the low level 
of public participation in procurement procedures. 
The lack of effective mechanisms to involve veterans' 
organisations, patient associations and professional 
communities in assessing needs and defining technical 
specifications creates conditions that allow for 
administrative arbitrariness and decisions that favour 
suppliers over veterans. The disconnect between 
the actual beneficiaries and those responsible for 
procurement results in the wasteful use of resources 
rather than genuine improvements to the quality of 
rehabilitation services.

International programmes, which by design include 
clear procedures for impact assessment, performance 
indicators, and transparency of expenditures, often 
encounter difficulties in implementation due to 
the unpreparedness of Ukrainian implementing 
entities – both governmental and municipal – to 
comply with rigorous standards of project management. 
It is evident that the primary focus of reporting is on 
meeting formal closure requirements rather than on 
achieving substantial outcomes, such as employment  
or sustainable self-sufficiency of veterans.

The absence of digitalisation and automation in the 
domains of registration, monitoring, and beneficiary 
support hinders the capacity to conduct an objective 
assessment of veterans' needs. The establishment 
of an electronic veterans' cabinet, as outlined in 
governmental policy documents, does not presently 
guarantee comprehensive access to services due 
to an absence of interagency data integration and 
technical malfunctionality at the local level. Veterans 
are compelled to submit documentation repeatedly to 
various institutions, creating an administrative burden 
and engendering mounting dissatisfaction.

In the context of martial law and the post-war 
era, there is an escalation in corruption risks within 
the social policy sector, particularly in the realm of 
international assistance distribution. This phenomenon 
is driven not only by weak institutional oversight but 
also by the absence of independent mechanisms for 
public scrutiny. These include underfunding of the 
Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, the limited mandate 
of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, and 
the insufficient involvement of veterans' organisations 
in audit procedures and strategic planning.

The ongoing and pressing concern regarding the 
transparency of targeted program development, 
particularly with respect to the substantiation of 
actual needs, remains a matter of significant urgency.  
The absence of a national registry of veterans, 
disaggregated by severity of injury, level of social 
adaptation, and other relevant parameters, complicates 
the fair distribution of resources. Projects are  
frequently financed without consideration of the  
actual regional demands, resulting in disparities across 
oblasts. 



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

29

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025

4. Proposals for Improving the Financial  
and Legal Mechanism for Providing State  
and International Rehabilitation Programmes 
for Veterans in Ukraine

In the context of a large-scale transformation  
of state policy in the field of veteran support, particularly 
under conditions of full-scale armed aggression,  
the issue of developing effective financial and legal 
mechanisms for ensuring rehabilitation programmes 
becomes especially relevant. In light of the financial 
limitations imposed by the state budget and the 
availability of international assistance, particular 
emphasis should be placed on proposals aimed at 
enhancing the regulatory framework, optimising the 
efficiency of interagency co-operation, and ensuring 
transparency and accountability in the utilisation 
of financial resources. The proposals outlined  
below represent an attempt at a comprehensive 
reconsideration of the directions for improving the 
financial and legal regulation of state and international 
rehabilitation programs for veterans in Ukraine.

Improving the financial and legal support of  
veteran rehabilitation programmes requires a systemic 
revision of the current model of public administration 
in this area, including regulatory, institutional and 
organisational changes. One of the key areas for 
improvement is the need to develop comprehensive 
amendments to legislation, unifying terminology and 
eliminating legal inconsistencies across sectors such 
as healthcare, social protection, labour, education, 
physical culture and sports. In order to achieve 
systemic coherence, it is proposed that a codified act 
or basic framework law be adopted. This would define 
the functional levels of rehabilitation assistance, the 
range of participating entities, unified standards, 
and mechanisms for interagency coordination.  
It would also regulate the procedure for engaging 
international assistance in this field.

The next step should be to implement an effective 
monitoring mechanism for the quality of rehabilitation 
services. This mechanism should be based on the 
principles of public accountability, expert independence, 
and civil society participation. This system should 
include the National Health Service of Ukraine, 
patient associations and academic institutions, and 
should evaluate outcomes based on both quantitative 
and qualitative indicators. Additionally, a large-scale 
information campaign is needed to raise awareness 
of veterans' rights to rehabilitation and the services 
available, particularly in remote regions and among 
vulnerable groups.

Particular attention should be given to the  
normative, financial and organisational structuring 
of non-medical forms of rehabilitation, such as 
psychosocial, vocational, educational, spiritual, sporting 

and cultural rehabilitation. To this end, a clear model 
of interaction must be established among the various 
forms of recovery. These must then be integrated 
into a unified system and algorithms introduced to  
transition individuals from one level to another, 
providing appropriate procedural and financial support. 
Funding sources should include not only state and 
local budgets, but also international grants, charitable 
resources and public-private partnership mechanisms.

To ensure equal access to services for disabled people, 
particularly in rural areas, measures must be taken 
to improve architectural, transport and information 
accessibility. This includes the modernisation  
of facility infrastructure, the establishment of 
mobile rehabilitation teams, the implementation of 
telerehabilitation and the conversion of information 
into accessible formats, such as sign language, plain 
language and digital tools.

Particular attention should be given to improving  
the prosthetics system and providing assistive 
rehabilitation devices for disabled people.  
The following proposals are put forward: reducing 
application processing time; introducing electronic 
document management; updating the national list 
of assistive devices in accordance with international 
standards; ensuring access to innovative products; and 
establishing a transparent system of public oversight of 
procurement tender procedures.

It is important to institutionalise the participation 
of veterans' and disability organisations in shaping 
state policy in the field of rehabilitation. To this end, 
it is advisable to establish permanent advisory bodies  
under the relevant central executive authorities, and 
to ensure that representatives of such associations 
are consulted during the drafting of legislative and 
subordinate acts. All regulatory initiatives must align 
with the provisions of the United Nations Convention 
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

In order to promote transparency and strategic 
planning, a unified registry of veteran rehabilitation 
programmes funded by state, local and international 
sources must be established. This database should 
provide information for evaluating programme 
effectiveness, identifying duplication and gaps, and 
facilitating coordination between agencies and sectors.

Ultimately, the financial and legal mechanisms for 
attracting international technical assistance must be 
improved by simplifying registration procedures, 
adapting contractual provisions to national legislation 
and aligning subordinate regulations on accounting, 
procurement and control. A unified model of state-
international partnership in the field of rehabilitation 
is also proposed, aimed at ensuring the effective use 
of funds based on principles of targeted allocation, 
integrity, transparency, and post-audit control.



Baltic Journal of Economic Studies  

30

Vol. 11 No. 4, 2025

References:
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Official translation provided by the Ministry of Social Policy, 
Letter No. 8006/0/2-23/61 of June 19, 2023. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_g71
World Health Organization. World Report on Disability. Geneva: WHO, 2011. Available at: https://www.who.int/
publications/i/item/9789241564182
The Law of Ukraine "On Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine", No. 1053-IX of December 3, 2020. 
The Official Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 2021. No. 4. Art. 27. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/
laws/show/1053-20
World Health Organization. Technical Considerations for Rehabilitation in the Context of Emergency. Geneva:  
WHO, 2021. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240032280
Ukraine Veteran Reintegration Program. IREX. Available at: https://www.irex.org/project/ukraine-veteran-
reintegration
UNDP Ukraine supports training on reintegration of veterans with disabilities. United Nations Development 
Programme. Available at: https://www.undp.org/ukraine/training-reintegration-veterans-disabilities
EU and IOM support veterans’ reintegration in Ukraine. International Organization for Migration.  
Available at: https://www.iom.int/news/eu-iom-support-veterans-reintegration-ukraine
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "On Approval of the State Target Program for the Social  
Protection of War Veterans for 2021–2025" No. 336 of April 14, 2021. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/
show/336-2021-п#Tex 
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "On Approval of the State Strategy for Veterans’ Rehabilitation  
until 2030" No. 1164-р of December 27, 2022. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1164-2022-
р#Text 
The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "On Approval of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free 
Space in Ukraine for the Period until 2030" No. 366-р of April 14, 2021. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/
laws/show/366-2021-р#Text 
Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. Work Directions and Programs. Available at: https://mva.gov.ua
The Law of Ukraine "On Rehabilitation in Healthcare" No. 1053-IX of December 3, 2020. The Official Bulletin of the 
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 2021. No. 6. Art. 45. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1053-20#Text
Babov, K. D. (ed.) (2023). Rehabilitation of Military Personnel in Sanatorium and Rehabilitation Institutions. Odesa: 
Poligraf, 80 p.
The Law of Ukraine "On Social Services" No. 2671-VIII of January 17, 2019. The Official Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada 
of Ukraine. 2019. No. 45. Art. 289. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2671-19
Ther Law of Ukraine "On Fundamentals of Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine" No. 875-XII of 
March 21, 1991. The Official Bulletin of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine SSR. 1991. No. 21. Art. 252. Available at: 
https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/875-12
The Law of Ukraine "On Professional Pre-Higher Education" No. 2740-VIII of June 6, 2019. The Official Bulletin of the 
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 2019. No. 32. Art. 230. Available at: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2740-19
National Health Service of Ukraine. On the Need for Speech Rehabilitation Specialists. Available at:  
https://nszu.gov.ua/news/pro-potrebu-u-fahivtsyah-z-movlennyevoyi-reabilitatsiyi
Prozorro. Procurement of Medical Equipment for Rehabilitation in Toretsk, Tender No. UA-2024-11-01-012713-a. 
Available at: https://prozorro.gov.ua/tender/UA-2024-11-01-012713-a
4vlada.com. Company that Sold Unproven Equipment to Rivne Hospital at Inflated Prices Attempted to Sue 
Journalists. Available at: https://4vlada.com/firma-yaka-prodala-rivnenskij-likarni-nedokazove-obladnannia-za-
zavyshchenoiu-tsinoiu-sprobuvala-sudytysia-z-zhurnalistamy

Received on: 05th of July, 2025
Accepted on: 14th of August, 2025

Published on: 24th of September, 2025